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Lucky 13
MGM // R // March 15, 2005
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
A direct-to-video effort that likely missed getting a theatrical release because of the somewhat similar "Little Black Book" - among other things - "Lucky 13" is a slight romantic comedy that has some charms, but the feather-light 79-minute picture doesn't leave a positive impression. The story couldn't be much smaller in scope - a guy named Zach (Brad Hunt) has a matter of days to convince the girl he's fallen for, Abbey ("Gilmore Girls" cutie Lauren Graham) to not go to New York.
So, he comes up with a plan from talking to his weird pal (Harland Williams) - he'll confront each of his prior girlfriends to learn what he did wrong in order to try and not screw things up with the girl he'd like to be his new love. It wasn't long before I became thankful that the picture was the shortest feature film I've reviewed in ages - not only is it not funny, I didn't care about the character. Hunt's performance is pretty dismal in the lead, and the screenplay is mediocre, with poor attempts at humor.
The film's redeeming quality is Graham, who injects the only real charm and warmth into the picture. Her performance is sweet and engaging, and it's tough to figure out why she would ever be interested in Zach (or why I should care about whether or not Zach wins Abbey over.) Harland Williams is amusing and unforced as Zach's friend, and actually gets a couple minor laughs, despite how unfunny (one of Zach's ex-girlfriends has what seems to be Tourettes - the acting is so bad I didn't know if that was the intent - and they attempt to milk that for a laugh) the film's script is.
"Lucky 13" essentially seems like an extended sitcom - the picture's humor is lowbrow and doesn't work, but the real problem is a lead character that's completely dull.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Lucky 13" is presented by MGM in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The picture quality is satisfactory, with no major concerns. Sharpness and detail are fine throughout much of the movie, but definition stops fairly short of being impressive. A few wide shots look a tad soft, as well.
Flaws weren't terribly distracting, as only some minor edge enhancement was spotted. No pixelation was seen, and the print appeared free of dirt and other debris. Colors looked natural, but lacked snap - that could certainly be an intentional (or unintentional) filmmaking choice, however.
SOUND: "Lucky 13" is presented by MGM in Dolby Digital 5.1. Surprisingly, there's some mild surround use on occasion for some ambience, but aside from that, the sound is front-heavy. Audio quality was adequate, with clear dialogue and effects.
EXTRAS: Aside from some trailers for other MGM titles, nothing.
Final Thoughts: "Lucky 13" has a thin, but workable plot that it does just about nothing with. The film's operating with a dull lead character and actor, leaving Lauren Graham to try and work a few charming moments - her efforts certainly don't save the film, however. MGM's DVD offers standard image and sound quality, and no supplements. At most, a rental for fans of the actors. Otherwise, not recommended.
A direct-to-video effort that likely missed getting a theatrical release because of the somewhat similar "Little Black Book" - among other things - "Lucky 13" is a slight romantic comedy that has some charms, but the feather-light 79-minute picture doesn't leave a positive impression. The story couldn't be much smaller in scope - a guy named Zach (Brad Hunt) has a matter of days to convince the girl he's fallen for, Abbey ("Gilmore Girls" cutie Lauren Graham) to not go to New York.
So, he comes up with a plan from talking to his weird pal (Harland Williams) - he'll confront each of his prior girlfriends to learn what he did wrong in order to try and not screw things up with the girl he'd like to be his new love. It wasn't long before I became thankful that the picture was the shortest feature film I've reviewed in ages - not only is it not funny, I didn't care about the character. Hunt's performance is pretty dismal in the lead, and the screenplay is mediocre, with poor attempts at humor.
The film's redeeming quality is Graham, who injects the only real charm and warmth into the picture. Her performance is sweet and engaging, and it's tough to figure out why she would ever be interested in Zach (or why I should care about whether or not Zach wins Abbey over.) Harland Williams is amusing and unforced as Zach's friend, and actually gets a couple minor laughs, despite how unfunny (one of Zach's ex-girlfriends has what seems to be Tourettes - the acting is so bad I didn't know if that was the intent - and they attempt to milk that for a laugh) the film's script is.
"Lucky 13" essentially seems like an extended sitcom - the picture's humor is lowbrow and doesn't work, but the real problem is a lead character that's completely dull.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Lucky 13" is presented by MGM in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The picture quality is satisfactory, with no major concerns. Sharpness and detail are fine throughout much of the movie, but definition stops fairly short of being impressive. A few wide shots look a tad soft, as well.
Flaws weren't terribly distracting, as only some minor edge enhancement was spotted. No pixelation was seen, and the print appeared free of dirt and other debris. Colors looked natural, but lacked snap - that could certainly be an intentional (or unintentional) filmmaking choice, however.
SOUND: "Lucky 13" is presented by MGM in Dolby Digital 5.1. Surprisingly, there's some mild surround use on occasion for some ambience, but aside from that, the sound is front-heavy. Audio quality was adequate, with clear dialogue and effects.
EXTRAS: Aside from some trailers for other MGM titles, nothing.
Final Thoughts: "Lucky 13" has a thin, but workable plot that it does just about nothing with. The film's operating with a dull lead character and actor, leaving Lauren Graham to try and work a few charming moments - her efforts certainly don't save the film, however. MGM's DVD offers standard image and sound quality, and no supplements. At most, a rental for fans of the actors. Otherwise, not recommended.
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